Simple Plan beats punk label with diverse, mature album

By KELLY WILSON
Get Out

Simple Plan guitarist Jeff Stinco is tired of arguing about his band’s punk status. He would be the first to point out that his band is a far cry from a second coming of The Ramones or The Clash. Let’s face it: The pop-punk quartet — who are a favorite of Hilary Duff — is about as punk as Ashlee Simpson.

It’s no wonder Alternative Press Magazine deemed the Montreal-based group “the band you love to hate” earlier this year.

But Stinco isn’t bothered by any of this.

“We do have punk influences,” says the guitarist, 26, calling from New York, where Simple Plan spent the previous night celebrating the release of their sophomore album, “Still Not Getting Any.”

“That’s really important to us. There are still songs on this record — like ‘Thank You’ — that are quite heavier, quite faster. We want to embrace that, yet we want people to understand that we don’t consider ourselves like the (Sex) Pistols or like The Clash. We’re different.

“We’re not a punk band, per se. We’re trying to find our voice and I think with this record we’re getting closer to that.’’

The group released the album late last month. As for its title, Stinco says “any” isn’t referring to sex.

“It’s a tongue-in-cheek thing,” he says of the album, which includes the single, “Welcome to My Life.” “We chose to keep the title kind of funny because we didn't want people to start thinking that we’re taking ourselves too seriously.’’

Although the group’s 2002 album, “No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls,” sold more than 2 million copies, Stinco maintains Simple Plan — which includes singer Pierre Bouvier, drummer Chuck Comeau, bassist David Desrosiers and guitarist Sebastien Lefebvre — haven’t let success go to their heads.

“It hasn’t changed us much,’’ he says. “We were just hanging out with Yellowcard a week ago and they were telling us, ‘Guys, we love the fact that you’re the same (expletive) guys that we met three years ago. You guys are still not taking yourselves too seriously. You still go out. You don't have bodyguards around you.’

‘‘You’d be surprised, though. Some bands in our genre of music are taking themselves so seriously with bodyguards galore. It’s like, ‘C'mon, a Sharpie is so much cheaper than a bodyguard. Just stop and sign for your fans.’ It’s too crazy.”